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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. swing — music
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bass — the fish
  9. swing — in golf
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — shares
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bass — low music
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. pitch — completely
  16. saw — the tool
  17. spring — a coil
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. swing — to play on
  20. spring — of water
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. spring — the season
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com